Car-fender



2 sheetssheet 1.

(No Modem P. JONES. GAR FENDER.

No. 597,216. Patented Jan. 1l, 1898.

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2 Sheets-Sheet 2. P. JONES.

GAR FENDER.

(No Model.)

No. 597,216. Patented Jan. 11,1898.

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CAR-FENDER.

SPECIFIGATION forming part of Letters Patent N o. 597,216, dated January 11, 1898.

Application led April 24, 1897.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, PAUL J ONES, a citizen of provements in Oar-Fenders, of which the fol-v lowing is a specification.

My invention lrelates more particularly to electrically-actuated oar-fenders.

In Letters Patent No. 578,106, granted me March 2, 1897, I have shown and described an improvement in'which a scoopframe hinged to hangers carried by the car-body is automatically dropped by pressure on a bilder-frame carried by thecar-platform. The car-body is subject to avertical rocking m0vement,which upon a rough track is of considerable extent, and when the scoop-frame is secured to the body of the car it must be mounted so that its normal position is some distance above the ground in order to allow sufiicient leeway for the maximum rocking movement. Itmust also be mounted in advance of the truck and its length is limited. The result is that the scoop-frame must drop some distance before it reaches its operative position and that the incline between its pivotal point audits front end is comparatively steep. Itis obvious that, other things being equal, the safety factor will be greatest in that device'which has the least distance to travel after being tripped to reach its operative position and in which the most time is allowed between-the tripping and the engagement with the scoop-frame. It is also obvious that the scoop-frame which is most gradually inclined from rear to front will receive a person with less shock and dany ger of injury than a frame which is more sharply inclined, as the latter is likely to roll or push the body along the ground, with great danger to limbs and life. The gradually-inclined scoop will also hold and carry the person muchY more safely than the sharply-inclined frame.

The objects of my present invention are to provide a car-fenderin which the scoop-frame has the smallest distance to drop which will permit clearance of ordinary inequalities in the road-bed, in which the scoop-frame is mounted as far in 'the rear'of Vthe buffer-f rame as the ordinary construction of cars will permit, in which the inclination of the scoop- Serial No..33,572. (No model.)

frame is as gradual as safety may require, to provide a more sensitive butter-frame, to

provide improved tripping mechanism, to

provide resetting mechanism which may be operated from the car, to provide improved mechanism for closing the electric circuit by which the tripping mechanism is actuated, to

provide improved means for releasing the 6o scoop-frame,an d to improve the details of construction of the various parts.

My invention consists in the parts and conibination and arrangement of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

In the drawings, Figure l is a broken vertical section of a car equipped with my invention. Fig. 2 is a front clevation'of a preferred form of buffer-frame. Fig. 3 is a top plan corresponding to Fig. vtical section showing in detail the means for closing the electric circuit. Fig. 5 is a top plan corresponding to Fig. 4. Fig. 6 is a vertical section showing the means for dropping the scoop. Fig. 7 is a horizontal section on 75 car-platform is composed of latticed wire.

From said points the wires run vertically to the bottom of the frame, which sets about six inches above the ground, as shown in Fig. 2. The upper part of the wire fabric is curved to substantially follow the curvature of the 9o dashboard, but bulges forward, still retaining lateral curvature, until it reaches a point below the bottom of the platform,where it curves rearwardly until it reaches the rear line vof the frame, and then extends downwardly in a vertical plane. If the buffer should strike a person who had already fallen, it is essential that the lower part of the frame should offer sufcient resistance to actuate thetripping mechanism, but should be sufficiently roo yielding to enable the buffer-frame to bend backward and allow the body to pass under it. By making the lower part of the bufferframe straight instead of laterally curved and Fig. i is a ver- 7o Fig. So

extending the lower ends of the wires vertically without interlocking I am enabled to secure sufficient elasticity without hinges or other appliances.

While I have here shown the buffer-frame as constructed of latticed wire, I do not coniine myself to this material, as the same result may be obtained, if the form and principle of construction be preserved, with thin metal Vstrips or other elastic material latticed or otherwise arranged.

The buifer-frame is held yieldingly in front of the car-platform by springs a', which with the springs Z1 and the yielding fabric of the buffer-frame afford a cushion suiiiciently elastic to prevent injury to a person whoV may come in contact therewith. The rear portion of the springs a bear against pluugers c mounted in contact-boxes C, and are held between ears c2, extending forwardly from the contact-boxes, by means-of pins c3, carried by springs c4. The rear ends of the plungers carry electrical contact-points c5, adapted to engage with U -shaped contact-pieces c6. The lips of the contact-piece c are flexible and close enough together to give good contact before the plungers reach their limit of inward movement. The plungers are surrounded by coiled springs c7, adapted to force the yplungers ou tward and break the contact when the pressure is released. The outer end of the plunger is of such length that it may be driven inward until it is flush with the contact-box without injury to the electric contacts. When driven to this point, the springs c engage with the box and the plunger cannot be driven farther. The contact-pieces c5 and cG are thus protected from injury in the case of collision. The contact-piece c6 is electrically connected with one wire of the main circuit and c5 with an electromagnet D, which is in turn .connected with the other wire of the main.

E is an armature-lever fulcrumed at e and carrying a catch e', preferably beveled at e2.

G is a spring normally holding the armature out of contact with the magnet.

F is a scoop-frame pivotally connected with the car-truck at f and provided with an arm 5o f', the free end of which is provided with a beveled edge f2 and is adapted to engage with and be held by the catch e. The scoopframe is normally held in its idle position by the catch e and arm f; but pressure upon the buffer-frame forces the springs a against the plungcrs c', thereby closing the electric current, which includes magnet D at c5 c6. The armature is thereby drawn toward the magnet, thus raising catch c and releasing` arm f', which allows the scoop-frame to drop.

The action above described is automatic;` but for the purpose of adapting the device for operation by the motorman I provide the following mechanism: His a foot-.piece projecting above the floor of the car-platform in .easy reach of the motorman and having a` stem h. The stem h' is seated in a'hollow sliding piece or plunger h3, which rests in a socket 71,2, seated in the platform-Hoor. 'The plunger 71,3 is provided with arms W and hs. A cord I is secured to the arm 71,7, passes over a sheave h4, and is connected with a cranklever J, one arm of which takes under the armature -lever YE. By pressing upon the foot-piece H the plunger h3 and its arm 71,7 are forced downward, drawing the cord I over the sheave h4 and actuating lever J, which lifts the armature-lever E, releasing arm f of the scoop-frame.V The plungeris returned to its normal position by a spring h5.

For the purpose of resetting the scoopframe the foot-piece II is connected with a cord K, which passes around a sheave 7d,

mounted in the rear of the catch e', and is se- Y cured to the arm f of the scoop-frame. The cord K is sufficiently slack to permit the scoop-frame to drop. To reset the scoopframe,the operator lifts the foot-piece,there by drawing up the cord, until the arm f' takes behind catch e', when the foot-piece is returned to its position.-

The scoop-frame preferably consists of a rigid outer' frame f2, with a series of strips or wires f3 extending across the bottom of the frame. The bars of" this frame extend above the bottom strips sufficiently to form a wall adapted to retain any object which may be caught in the scoop. The front end of the frame is provided with a shoe f4,adapted to slide on the ground and take under any object which is to be caught by the scoop. By this construction I am enabled to rivet or bolt the bottom strips to the bottom of the outer frame, thereby avoiding any projections which are liable to bruise a person or catch upon .his clothing.

I claim- I. In combination with a car, ascoop-frame pivotally secured to the truck-frame; an electromagnet; an armature-lever; a catch carried by the armature-lever, normally holding the scoop-frame in its idle position; a fenderframe secured to the platform; springs secured to the fender; plungers adapted to be actuated bythe springs and carrying electric contact-points adapted to engage other contact-points and close a circuit including the magnet, thereby actuating the armature-lever and releasing the scoop-frame, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. In combination with a car, the fender. A; plungcrs, c', carrying electric contacts, c5; springs, c7, normally holding the plungers in their idle position; springs, a', engaging with the plungers; electric contact, c,- the scoopframe, F, having arm, f'; the magnet, D; the armature-lever, E; the catch, c', carried by the armature-lever and adapted to engage with the arm, f; and an electric circuit, including the magnet, and the contact-points, whereby pressure on the fender-frame actuates the plungers, thereby closing the lcircuit and releasing the scoop-frame, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

IOO

IOS

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'purpose set forth.

4. The combination with the scoop-frame of a car, oftripping mechanism, normally holding the scoop-frame in its idle position 5 the foot-piece, l-I 5 the plunger, h3, having arm,

k7, and a cord connecting the arm, 7L?, with the tripping mechanism, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

5. A flexible buffer-frame, adapted to be attached to a car-platformbellied in its upper portion, but verging in its lower portion into a straight part integral with the bellied portion, thereby permitting it to bend rearwujardly and pass over an obstruction upon the track, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

G. A iiexible buEer-frame, adapted to be attached to a car-platform, laterally and Vertically bellied in its upper portion, but verging into a straight part integral with the bellied portion, thereby permitting it to bend rearwardly and pass over an obstruction on the track, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

7. A flexible buffer-frame adapted to be attached to a car-platform, bellied in its upper portion, but verging in its lower portion into a straight part integral with the bellied portion thereby permitting it to bend rear- Wardly and pass over an obstruction on the track, in combination with a normally-sustained scoop-frame hung beneath the car and mechanism adapted to be operated by the ouder-frame to release the scoop-frame, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

PAUL .l ONES.

Witnesses:

BRAYTON G. RICHARDS, THOMAS D. Conny'. 

